Pasadena, Glendale, Burbank: three cities, three water utilities

Stories filed for this part of town

• Pasadena, Glendale, Burbank: three cities, three water utilities
• Bungalow courts and duplexes: when the pipes are shared
• After a wildfire: your tap, the ash and the gas

If your bill comes from Pasadena Water and Power, Glendale Water & Power or Burbank Water and Power, much of what you read about "L.A. plumbing" does not apply to you. That includes the City of Los Angeles rebates and its seismic gas valve rule, which each city answers for itself.

Who supplies your water here

Each city runs its own utility and publishes its own water report, so the numbers differ.

Pasadena's report and Burbank's report are public. For Glendale, GWP posts its report online; this paper could not confirm a current figure, so it prints none. Altadena, South Pasadena and La Crescenta sit outside these three cities, so go by the name on your bill.

What kind of houses are here

Pasadena's best-known stock is the bungalow. The Bungalow Heaven Historic District was developed mainly between 1888 and 1929, and the American Planning Association says most of its bungalows went up between 1905 and 1920.

Glendale's Rossmoyne Historic District is its largest, with 503 homes in Period Revival styles. Nearby Royal Boulevard's period runs from 1926 to 1948.

Burbank's citywide historic context report describes three waves: a 1912 to 1928 boom that produced Magnolia Park and Benmar Hills, modest Minimal Traditional homes built near Lockheed during the war, and the city's largest growth in the late 1940s and 1950s. So a Burbank house could fit before 1930, the 1930s and 1940s or the 1950s and 1960s. Any of them may have been re-plumbed since.

What tends to go wrong here

These are questions the houses raise, not a tally; no utility publishes failures by street.

• Old water lines. Bungalows of this age may still hold galvanized pipe somewhere, and repiping is licensed work.
• Scale. Harder water is more likely to leave deposits at fixtures and in water heaters. Hard water by neighborhood compares the region.
• The sewer lateral. Burbank's FAQ says each owner is responsible for their own lateral, even when the roots come from a parkway tree, with a limited City reimbursement tied to those trees. Pasadena's house sewer page says the private sewer extends beyond the property line. This paper did not confirm Glendale's wording, so ask there before assuming, and read who owns your sewer lateral for how the City of Los Angeles handles it.
• Shared courts. A court or duplex may have one line for several households: bungalow court plumbing.
• Fire. After the Eaton Fire, PWP lifted its Do Not Drink notice for its whole service area in an update dated January 24, 2025. During any such notice, boiling or filtering won't make the water safe. After a wildfire has the county's guidance.

State law on strapping a water heater applies here too, since it isn't a City of Los Angeles rule. Gas valve rules differ by city, so ask yours.

Neighborhood stops

1. Bungalow HeavenPWP1905 to 1920, mostlyA landmark district; ask about exterior rules.
2. RossmoyneGWPFrom the 1920s, oftenRead GWP's report for hardness.
3. Magnolia ParkBWPFrom the 1920s, oftenBurbank's lateral rule applies.
4. Southwest BurbankBWPEarly 1940s, oftenWartime workers' homes.
5. AltadenaCheck your bill; unincorporatedAll sortsFollow your supplier's notices.

Who handles this

• CSLBContractor license check, statewide
• Pasadena Water and PowerPasadena water supply and quality
• Glendale Water & PowerGlendale water supply and quality
• Burbank Public WorksBurbank sewer lateral rules

Questions that come up

Do LADWP rebates work in Burbank or Pasadena?

No. They are for LADWP customers. Ask your own utility what it offers.

Does the City of Los Angeles seismic gas valve rule apply in Glendale?

No. That rule is the City of Los Angeles's own. Ask Glendale's building department what applies at sale or during work.

Can this paper tell me how hard Glendale water is?

Not with a figure it could confirm for this year. GWP's annual report is the place to read it.

What this was checked against

1. Pasadena hardness and fire notice: PWP reports and notices
2. Burbank hardness: Burbank's report via the State Water Board
3. Bungalow Heaven: California Office of Historic Preservation
4. Rossmoyne: City of Glendale
5. Burbank history: City of Burbank context report, LA Conservancy copy

Sources read in November 2026. Rules and prices change: check the agency before you act.